Where You Lead (i will follow)
by Baelzilnea
Summary: "ELIZABETH ANNE GREENE." He said it firmly and low, practically growling. Her eyes flew open again and zeroed in on him. "Dont you DARE, go somewhere that I cant follow you. Do you hear me? Don't you DARE." Beth was shot in the hospital, but not in the head. Their reunion in a less tragic way.


**A/N: THis is another oneshot drabble! Thanks for being patient with me and I really hope you like this one, i've been playing this scene in my head for days! Enjoy!**

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He held her in his arms for five seconds tops before she was taken away from him again. She moved back to the police women who had held her in that shithole hospital and when he swallowed he could almost taste what was about to happen.

He started moving even before the gun went off, and when the officer caught Beth's body in her arms, he screamed in a mixture of rage and pain. He whipped out his gun and shot her before he realized what he was doing, and he made straight for the small blonde laying on the floor in a pool of blood.

"Beth!" He cried. He fell to his knees and pulled her into his arms. People around them were shouting and crying. He ignored them all and focused on Beth. His eyes roved over her flawless face, and down to her neck. He pushed her bloody sweater from her shoulder and found the bullet wound, nestled right in the curve of her shoulder. He immediately pressed his palm over the spot and squeezed hard.

His heart dropped when Beth opened her eyes and cried out.

"Beth! Beth." Daryl said her name again and again like a prayer. People moved and talked around them, the shouting had stopped and now their family was crowded around them. Beth whimpered and her back arched in pain. Daryl pressed the palm of his other hand to her cheek. "You are going to be okay, Beth, look at me!" Her eyes had begun to glaze over but she focused them on him.

Someone tried to move him out of the way but he pushed back, refusing to break eye contact with her.

"Daryl, let them take her, let them help! It is her only chance." It was Carol, smoothing his hair back from his forehead. Daryl gritted his teeth and moved back slightly, allowing someone to take over pressing on her wound. Tears slipped from her eyes and she still refused to look away from him.

"Daryl..." She whimpered painfully. "Dont-"

"I'm right here." Someone pulled her from his arms and onto a little stretcher. He grabbed hold of her hand and stood with her, refusing to let her go even for a second. Someone tried to pull him away but he jerked out of their grip. The voices all around them echoed and wavered. He focused on the tiny girl rolling on the stretcher beside them. She was paler than usual and her eyes were fluttering shut.

"ELIZABETH ANNE GREENE." He said it firmly and low, practically growling. Her eyes flew open again and zeroed in on him. "Dont you DARE, go somewhere that I cant follow you. Do you hear me? Dont you DARE." Beth smiled slightly, just a little quirk of her mouth, but she nodded. The people pulling a stretcher pulled her through a doorway, and two sets of strong hands gripped his arms. Her hand slipped from his and hung over the edge of the bed, unmoving. He sank to his knees watching as the tiny hand was pulled from his sight. He felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his waist, and he put his face in his hands and he wept.

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When Beth woke up she was in the same room she had woken up in weeks before. There were two marked differences. One, she hurt all over. Two, Daryl Dixon was beside her, his head laying on the bed, and he was sound asleep. Beth slowly lifted her hand, wincing slightly, and ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face. His eyes opened at her touch and he sat up, grabbing her hand and bringing it to his heart. She winced again as the movement jolted her shoulder, and he dropped her hand, apologizing profusely.

"Hush." She said, reaching for him again. He leaned into her touch and she smiled. "You saved me."

"You got your damn self shot." He quipped gruffly.

"Yeah," Beth replied "not my best idea." They looked at each other for a long moment. Beth studied his face, his eyes had dark circles under them, and he had scrapes and bruises on his face, he was clean, obviously he had showered since he had been at the hospital, but his hair still hung in his eyes. He smiled at her.

"Daryl-"

"I-" They both spoke at the same moment and then stopped.

"I'm gonna go get you some food." He stood and then stopped, bending slightly to push her hair off of her forehead before placing a slight kiss on her brow. Then he turned and left the room.

Beth watched him go. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push the feelings welling in her chest into a small box in the pit of her stomach. The door opened and shut again, and she looked up. Carol stood beside the door.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, walking to Beth's side and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead.

"Fine, thank you." Beth replied. Carol nodded.

"Maggie is down the hall. I'll send her in in a little while." Beth smiled.

They stood and looked at each other for a long moment. Beth glanced away, uncomfortable, apparently that was just going to be her day. A few minutes passed, before Carol spoke again.

"He cried, over you, after you were shot. And before we found you he never stopped looking, never." Beth looked at her again. "He loves you. So dont hurt him, he has had enough of that already." Beth blinked. Carol nodded once and then turned and left the room.

After she had gone, Maggie came by for a few minutes, the sisters talked quietly about what had happened to them, they were interrupted by the door slamming open and Daryl stomping in, muttering as he juggled food and drinks in his hands. Maggie stood and left with the promise to return again soon and Daryl plopped down in her vacated chair.

"Damn cans." He muttered, sliding a tray onto her lap and popping the tab on a can. Beth smiled and picked up her fork as he tore into his own food. She watched him eat, taking one or two bits of her own food before pushing the tray to the side.

"How did you find me?" she asked him, he swallowed and looked up at her.

"Just kept looking." He replied. She looked into his eyes, steady and blue.

"Daryl..." She trailed off and looked away. Her stomach was in knots. She wanted to touch him, she wanted to hold him, to tell him what she felt for him, but she didn't want to scare him away.

"Spit it out." Daryl groused around a mouthful of food. She turned back to him.

"Put that down, take this too, and come up here with me." He dropped his hand from his mouth and looked at her with an expression of surprise that almost bordered on ridiculous. She handed him her tray and he juggled them onto a little side table. Beth scooted over in her bed and patted the space next to her. Daryl hesitated. "Please." She whispered. He looked into her eyes for a moment and nodded once, he climbed onto the bed next to her and he pulled his arm around her, after some awkward maneuvering she was wrapped securely in his arms, her head on his chest. Her shoulder burned from her movements but she ignored it, listening to Daryl's steady heartbeat and not so steady breathing.

They lay quietly together for a little bit before Beth broke their silence.

"I love you." She whispered. She felt him stiffen and tightened her grip on him. "I do, I love you. Thank you for finding me, thank you for being here for me, thank you for keeping me alive." She turned her nose into the hollow of his neck. "I wanted to go, but you told me not to go anywhere that you couldn't follow me. I don't want to be apart from you again. I'm not sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but I know you feel the same way about me. Carol told me that you never stopped looking for me, why would you do that if you felt any different?"

She waited in agonized silence for him to gather his words. She knew that Daryl wasn't one for long proclamations of love, and it would not surprise her in the least if he didn't say it back. She understood, and loved him for it. Finally she felt him take a deep breath and relax.

"I dont want to be apart either."

That was it. That was all he said. Beth smiled and relaxed into his arms, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had no idea what would happen next, or where they would go or when. But none of that mattered, because she was in his arms, and she wasn't about to let him go again.

"Go to sleep." He murmured into her hair.

"Stay." She replied, closing her eyes.

He did.

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**A/N: So yeah, this has been bouncing around in my head for like a week and i had to get it out or I would go crazy. I hope you enjoyed it! Review?**


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